TWO COMMUNITIES MOURN THEIR DEAD
TWO COMMUNITIES MOURN THEIR DEAD
THEY came from all classes, creeds and age groups. Babies, old women, students, mothers and school-girls. Some were well-off, others lived on the poverty line.
The youngest victim was 18 months, the oldest 65 years. Of the 28 killed, most were from Co Tyrone, but there were three children from Buncrana, Co Donegal, and a schoolboy and his teacher from Spain.
This was not a tragedy which hurt one community or the other. Everyone was affected. Mary Grimes, a daily Mass-goer, and Esther Gibson, a Free Presbyterian Sunday school-teacher, were both killed. Brenda Logue lived for the GAA. Aidan Gallagher's uncle, a former UDR man, was killed by the IRA.
Some of the dead had voted for the Belfast Agreement, others against it. Ms Gibson was the niece of a leading local DUP politician, and Fred White was an Ulster Unionist Party activist. Many were nationalists.
The Omagh bomb recognised no barriers.
Suzanne Breen
BREDA DEVINE - Breda Devine was a fighter. The 20-month-old toddler had clung to life after being born three months prematurely. Her mother Tracey (27) had taken her into town on Saturday to shop for a wedding gift for her brother and his fiancee. Breda was killed in the blast while her mother was left fighting for her life after suffering 60 per cent burns.
The child's father Paul was left with the heart-breaking task of telling his three other children - Aaron (6), Niamh (3) and Shay (2) - that their baby sister had died and their mother was critically ill.
JULIE HUGHES - Julie Hughes (21) had come back to Omagh to see her parents during the summer holidays. She was a student at Dundee University and planned to return to Scotland next month. She decided to take a part-time holiday job and was working in Image Xpress, a photo shop in the High Street in Omagh, last Saturday.
Some time after the bomb warning, she was told to leave the shop.
She ran into the full force of the blast. Her parents, Helen and Alec, live on the outskirts of town. They are said to be very distressed. A constant stream of Julie's friends have been arriving at the house.
BRENDA LOGUE - Brenda Logue (17) wanted to know what was going on. She left her mother and grandmother in a shop to take a peek at the street outside on Saturday and see why people were running. She caught the full force of the bomb. Her mother and grandmother escaped with cuts and bruises.
Brenda was from Carrickmore from a family of five. She played in goal for a local Gaelic football team and was still at school. "I loved her to bits," said her father, Tommy. "She was a wonderful wee girl, so full of life."
JAMES BARKER - Donna Maria Barker said she never realised how green her son's eyes were until she saw him lying on a mortuary slab. "To see him lying there with half of his head gone and those beautiful green eyes looking out at me as if he was waiting for me was devastating," she said.
"I never realised how green his eyes were. That image will stay with me for the rest of my life."
Donna and her husband, Victor, an English-born lawyer, had moved their four children to Ireland from England last year "to give them a better quality of life".
James (12) from Buncrana in Co Donegal was on a visit to Omagh Folk Park with his friends Oran Doherty and Sean McLaughlin, and a group of Spanish students on an exchange visit. He was an avid Chelsea supporter.
He was due to start secondary school in Belfast next month.
"We thought we were coming to Ireland to have a peaceful life. It has gone so very wrong," Donna said.
ORAN DOHERTY - Oran Doherty (8) also from Buncrana, Co Donegal, had been looking forward to going to Omagh all week.
"He was so excited about the trip," said his sister Liza. "He came into my room for sweets before he left on Saturday because he was a bad traveller.
"He took two sweets and when I told him to take more he only took another two. Any other child would have taken a handful but that was the kind of boy he was. So loving and gentle and very generous. He was just an angel and we will all miss him so much. We will never, ever get over this."
The Dohertys live in Knockalla Park in Buncrana.
SEAN MCLAUGHLIN - The McLaughlins live just two doors up from the Dohertys. Sean (12) was an altar boy at the local church, St Michael's Oratory.
Father Charles Keaney said: "He was a lovely wee fellow. The one memory I have of him is of his happy, smiling face." Sean's uncle, Michael Doherty, said the family couldn't understand why their precious child had to die in that way.
FERNANDO BLASCO - Fernando Blasco (12) was one of a group of Spanish children on an exchange programme with a group of Donegal children. He was from Madrid. His parents travelled to Omagh to bring home his body.
They were accompanied by the Spanish ambassador to Ireland to the temporary morgue in a British army barracks in Omagh to formally identify their son.
ROCIO ABAD - It was Rocio Abad's fifth trip to Ireland. She loved the country. She was the leader of the exchange group and was helping supervise the Spanish children on a day out as part of their language course. Ms Abad (24) was due to return to Spain shortly for her sister's wedding.
PHILOMENA SKELTON - Philomena Skelton only went into Omagh twice a year - to do her Christmas shopping and to buy her children uniforms for returning to school. She lived in Drumquin and rarely left the village.
"Mena was such a home bird," said her husband Kevin. "She hardly ever went out. We did everything together like the grocery shopping every evening."
Last Saturday Philomena (39) was accompanied by Kevin and daughters Shauna (13), Tracey (15), and Paula (18). Her son Ray (16) was on a fishing trip. She was caught in the explosion as her daughters tried on school uniforms. Kevin was in a neighbouring shop when the bomb exploded. "We were only three feet apart, with just a shop dividing us, yet she was killed and I came out of it with hardly a scratch," he said. "I find that very difficult to accept."
The couple met when Philomena was 15 and married four years later. They were to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary at the end of this month. "She gave me 20 years of happiness and four wonderful kids," Kevin said.
ESTHER GIBSON - Esther Gibson (36) had picked her wedding ring. She met Kenneth Hawkes last March and it was love at first sight. They got engaged two months later on Kenneth's birthday and were due to be married on Esther's birthday next year.
But first Esther was to be chief bridesmaid at her sister Caroline's wedding next month. "After that, we planned to concentrate on organising our own," said Kenneth who couldn't stop crying yesterday. "We had our rings picked and we were waiting for planning permission to build a house.
"Esther was kind and loving - the most generous person I have ever known. She loved children. She couldn't wait to start a family. We wanted a boy and a girl."
Esther came from a big family herself. She was the eldest of 11 - five girls and six boys who grew up on a farm outside Beragh, Co Tyrone. She had worked in Desmonds clothing factory for 15 years and was a Sunday school teacher for the Rev Ian Paisley's Free Presbyterian Church at Sixmilecross. "She was a fine girl with a good future," Dr Paisley said. "This is terrible for the children and the congregation." Her uncle is the DUP assembly member for West Tyrone, Oliver Gibson. Kenneth found Esther's car in Dunnes' carpark in Omagh last Saturday.
Her shopping bags were still on the back seat where she had left them.
AVRIL MONAGHAN - Avril Monaghan (30) was heavily pregnant with twins. She had four children under 7. She was in town with her 18-month-old daughter Maura and her mother, Mary Grimes, to celebrate Mary's birthday.
Avril lived in Aughadarra, about 15 miles from Omagh. She worked as a secretary. Her husband Michael is said to be "shattered" by the death of his wife and daughter.
MAURA MONAGHAN - Maura Monaghan was only 18 months when she was killed with her mother and grandmother. She was the youngest victim of the Omagh bombing.
MARY GRIMES - Mary Grimes (65) was a mother of 12. Born in Co Cork, she was a former maternity nurse. She died on her birthday. She lived on a dairy farm in Beragh with her husband Mick. He had been waiting with flowers to welcome her home when the terrible news began to filter through. The couple were very religious and attended Mass every day. Father Arthur McAnerney said he couldn't praise the family highly enough. "They are very good people, very courageous people. There are no histrionics," he said.
GERALDINE BRESLIN - Geraldine Breslin was killed as she ran out of Watterson's clothes shop only to be hit by the full force of the blast. She worked in the store. Her husband Mark and son Gareth (14) are being comforted by friends. Geraldine (35) was from Omagh. Local priest, Father John Forbes, said: "She was a beautiful woman who was the salt of the earth."
ANNE McCOMBE - Anne McCombe (48) was Geraldine Breslin's best friend. They worked together in Watterson's. They were on a tea break when the bomb exploded outside the shop. Anne was a Protestant but their friendship bridged the sectarian divide. Ann was married with two sons, Colan (18) and Clive (22).
"She was not just my wife, she was my best friend as well," said her husband Stanley. "She was such a loving, caring person. She had not a bad word to say about anybody." Anne loved going for long walks in the countryside and singing in the church choir. She had nursed her own parents who both died within the past year. She was a strong supporter of the peace process.
VEDA SHORT - Veda Short (46) worked in the lingerie department at Watterson's. She and her husband William have one son, three daughters and a grandchild. She lived in Gortaclare, County Tyrone.
AIDAN GALLAGHER - Aidan Gallagher (21) went into Watterson's to buy new boots and a pair of jeans. He had studied car bodywork at Portadown College and spent two years building up his own firm. He was crazy about cars, his friends said. He would normally have been working on a Saturday afternoon but changed his plans and decided to go into town with a friend instead. His friend was badly injured.
Aidan was the only son in the family. It is not the first time the Gallagher's have lost a loved one during the Troubles. Aidan's uncle Hugh, a former part-time UDR soldier, was shot dead by the IRA while working as a taxi-driver in Omagh 14 years ago.
ELIZABETH RUSH - Elizabeth Rush (57) lived for her small pine and canework shop next door to the Cosy Corner pub in Omagh. She had a cafe upstairs which was a popular meeting place in the town. Elizabeth was killed in her shop.
JOLENE MARLOW - Everybody said Jolene Marlow was a kind-hearted girl. Jolene (17) and her sister Nicola (15) had taken their great aunt, Bernie Shaw (75), into Omagh on a shopping trip. The family are from Newtownsaville. Jolene had three brothers.
SAMANTHA MCFARLAHD - Samantha McFarland (17) was a student at Strabane College. She was killed with her best friend Lorraine Wilson.
LORRAINE WILSON - Lorraine Wilson (15), a schoolgirl, was working with Samantha in the charity shop run by Oxfam in Omagh. They were evacuated and left the building together. They walked into the bomb.
GARETH CONWAY - Gareth Conway (18) from Carrickmore was about to enrol in an engineering course when he was killed. His father Mickey plays handball at All-Ireland level and he and his wife Marie have another son and two daughters.
Gareth had just left Omagh Technical College and had been accepted for a place at the Magee College. His exam results were due out this week. He was in Omagh to buy a pair of contact lenses. "I would say this has been the worst day of my life," said his local parish priest, Father Sean Hegarty.
ALAN RADFORD - Alan Radford (16) would have got his GCSE results this week. His family were delighted that he had taken his exams. Alan was in town to help his mother with the shopping. His brother Paul went searching for him after the bomb but could not find him. So Paul helped the other injured. Alan wasn't identified until Sunday.
Paul said it was so cruel that his brother had been killed when he had never been involved in politics in any way.
FRED WHITE - Fred White (60) had just came home from a holiday abroad and had gone into town to get shopping. He was an office-holder in the local Omagh Ulster Unionist Association. It is believed he died with his son Brian (27).
BRYAN WHITE - Brian White (27).
BRIAN McCRORY - Brian McCrory (54), was from Omagh.
OLIVE HAWKES - Aged 60, from Omagh.
DEBORAH ANNE CARTWRIGHT - Aged 20, from Omagh
THEY came from all classes, creeds and age groups. Babies, old women, students, mothers and school-girls. Some were well-off, others lived on the poverty line.
The youngest victim was 18 months, the oldest 65 years. Of the 28 killed, most were from Co Tyrone, but there were three children from Buncrana, Co Donegal, and a schoolboy and his teacher from Spain.
This was not a tragedy which hurt one community or the other. Everyone was affected. Mary Grimes, a daily Mass-goer, and Esther Gibson, a Free Presbyterian Sunday school-teacher, were both killed. Brenda Logue lived for the GAA. Aidan Gallagher's uncle, a former UDR man, was killed by the IRA.
Some of the dead had voted for the Belfast Agreement, others against it. Ms Gibson was the niece of a leading local DUP politician, and Fred White was an Ulster Unionist Party activist. Many were nationalists.
The Omagh bomb recognised no barriers.
Suzanne Breen
BREDA DEVINE - Breda Devine was a fighter. The 20-month-old toddler had clung to life after being born three months prematurely. Her mother Tracey (27) had taken her into town on Saturday to shop for a wedding gift for her brother and his fiancee. Breda was killed in the blast while her mother was left fighting for her life after suffering 60 per cent burns.
The child's father Paul was left with the heart-breaking task of telling his three other children - Aaron (6), Niamh (3) and Shay (2) - that their baby sister had died and their mother was critically ill.
JULIE HUGHES - Julie Hughes (21) had come back to Omagh to see her parents during the summer holidays. She was a student at Dundee University and planned to return to Scotland next month. She decided to take a part-time holiday job and was working in Image Xpress, a photo shop in the High Street in Omagh, last Saturday.
Some time after the bomb warning, she was told to leave the shop.
She ran into the full force of the blast. Her parents, Helen and Alec, live on the outskirts of town. They are said to be very distressed. A constant stream of Julie's friends have been arriving at the house.
BRENDA LOGUE - Brenda Logue (17) wanted to know what was going on. She left her mother and grandmother in a shop to take a peek at the street outside on Saturday and see why people were running. She caught the full force of the bomb. Her mother and grandmother escaped with cuts and bruises.
Brenda was from Carrickmore from a family of five. She played in goal for a local Gaelic football team and was still at school. "I loved her to bits," said her father, Tommy. "She was a wonderful wee girl, so full of life."
JAMES BARKER - Donna Maria Barker said she never realised how green her son's eyes were until she saw him lying on a mortuary slab. "To see him lying there with half of his head gone and those beautiful green eyes looking out at me as if he was waiting for me was devastating," she said.
"I never realised how green his eyes were. That image will stay with me for the rest of my life."
Donna and her husband, Victor, an English-born lawyer, had moved their four children to Ireland from England last year "to give them a better quality of life".
James (12) from Buncrana in Co Donegal was on a visit to Omagh Folk Park with his friends Oran Doherty and Sean McLaughlin, and a group of Spanish students on an exchange visit. He was an avid Chelsea supporter.
He was due to start secondary school in Belfast next month.
"We thought we were coming to Ireland to have a peaceful life. It has gone so very wrong," Donna said.
ORAN DOHERTY - Oran Doherty (8) also from Buncrana, Co Donegal, had been looking forward to going to Omagh all week.
"He was so excited about the trip," said his sister Liza. "He came into my room for sweets before he left on Saturday because he was a bad traveller.
"He took two sweets and when I told him to take more he only took another two. Any other child would have taken a handful but that was the kind of boy he was. So loving and gentle and very generous. He was just an angel and we will all miss him so much. We will never, ever get over this."
The Dohertys live in Knockalla Park in Buncrana.
SEAN MCLAUGHLIN - The McLaughlins live just two doors up from the Dohertys. Sean (12) was an altar boy at the local church, St Michael's Oratory.
Father Charles Keaney said: "He was a lovely wee fellow. The one memory I have of him is of his happy, smiling face." Sean's uncle, Michael Doherty, said the family couldn't understand why their precious child had to die in that way.
FERNANDO BLASCO - Fernando Blasco (12) was one of a group of Spanish children on an exchange programme with a group of Donegal children. He was from Madrid. His parents travelled to Omagh to bring home his body.
They were accompanied by the Spanish ambassador to Ireland to the temporary morgue in a British army barracks in Omagh to formally identify their son.
ROCIO ABAD - It was Rocio Abad's fifth trip to Ireland. She loved the country. She was the leader of the exchange group and was helping supervise the Spanish children on a day out as part of their language course. Ms Abad (24) was due to return to Spain shortly for her sister's wedding.
PHILOMENA SKELTON - Philomena Skelton only went into Omagh twice a year - to do her Christmas shopping and to buy her children uniforms for returning to school. She lived in Drumquin and rarely left the village.
"Mena was such a home bird," said her husband Kevin. "She hardly ever went out. We did everything together like the grocery shopping every evening."
Last Saturday Philomena (39) was accompanied by Kevin and daughters Shauna (13), Tracey (15), and Paula (18). Her son Ray (16) was on a fishing trip. She was caught in the explosion as her daughters tried on school uniforms. Kevin was in a neighbouring shop when the bomb exploded. "We were only three feet apart, with just a shop dividing us, yet she was killed and I came out of it with hardly a scratch," he said. "I find that very difficult to accept."
The couple met when Philomena was 15 and married four years later. They were to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary at the end of this month. "She gave me 20 years of happiness and four wonderful kids," Kevin said.
ESTHER GIBSON - Esther Gibson (36) had picked her wedding ring. She met Kenneth Hawkes last March and it was love at first sight. They got engaged two months later on Kenneth's birthday and were due to be married on Esther's birthday next year.
But first Esther was to be chief bridesmaid at her sister Caroline's wedding next month. "After that, we planned to concentrate on organising our own," said Kenneth who couldn't stop crying yesterday. "We had our rings picked and we were waiting for planning permission to build a house.
"Esther was kind and loving - the most generous person I have ever known. She loved children. She couldn't wait to start a family. We wanted a boy and a girl."
Esther came from a big family herself. She was the eldest of 11 - five girls and six boys who grew up on a farm outside Beragh, Co Tyrone. She had worked in Desmonds clothing factory for 15 years and was a Sunday school teacher for the Rev Ian Paisley's Free Presbyterian Church at Sixmilecross. "She was a fine girl with a good future," Dr Paisley said. "This is terrible for the children and the congregation." Her uncle is the DUP assembly member for West Tyrone, Oliver Gibson. Kenneth found Esther's car in Dunnes' carpark in Omagh last Saturday.
Her shopping bags were still on the back seat where she had left them.
AVRIL MONAGHAN - Avril Monaghan (30) was heavily pregnant with twins. She had four children under 7. She was in town with her 18-month-old daughter Maura and her mother, Mary Grimes, to celebrate Mary's birthday.
Avril lived in Aughadarra, about 15 miles from Omagh. She worked as a secretary. Her husband Michael is said to be "shattered" by the death of his wife and daughter.
MAURA MONAGHAN - Maura Monaghan was only 18 months when she was killed with her mother and grandmother. She was the youngest victim of the Omagh bombing.
MARY GRIMES - Mary Grimes (65) was a mother of 12. Born in Co Cork, she was a former maternity nurse. She died on her birthday. She lived on a dairy farm in Beragh with her husband Mick. He had been waiting with flowers to welcome her home when the terrible news began to filter through. The couple were very religious and attended Mass every day. Father Arthur McAnerney said he couldn't praise the family highly enough. "They are very good people, very courageous people. There are no histrionics," he said.
GERALDINE BRESLIN - Geraldine Breslin was killed as she ran out of Watterson's clothes shop only to be hit by the full force of the blast. She worked in the store. Her husband Mark and son Gareth (14) are being comforted by friends. Geraldine (35) was from Omagh. Local priest, Father John Forbes, said: "She was a beautiful woman who was the salt of the earth."
ANNE McCOMBE - Anne McCombe (48) was Geraldine Breslin's best friend. They worked together in Watterson's. They were on a tea break when the bomb exploded outside the shop. Anne was a Protestant but their friendship bridged the sectarian divide. Ann was married with two sons, Colan (18) and Clive (22).
"She was not just my wife, she was my best friend as well," said her husband Stanley. "She was such a loving, caring person. She had not a bad word to say about anybody." Anne loved going for long walks in the countryside and singing in the church choir. She had nursed her own parents who both died within the past year. She was a strong supporter of the peace process.
VEDA SHORT - Veda Short (46) worked in the lingerie department at Watterson's. She and her husband William have one son, three daughters and a grandchild. She lived in Gortaclare, County Tyrone.
AIDAN GALLAGHER - Aidan Gallagher (21) went into Watterson's to buy new boots and a pair of jeans. He had studied car bodywork at Portadown College and spent two years building up his own firm. He was crazy about cars, his friends said. He would normally have been working on a Saturday afternoon but changed his plans and decided to go into town with a friend instead. His friend was badly injured.
Aidan was the only son in the family. It is not the first time the Gallagher's have lost a loved one during the Troubles. Aidan's uncle Hugh, a former part-time UDR soldier, was shot dead by the IRA while working as a taxi-driver in Omagh 14 years ago.
ELIZABETH RUSH - Elizabeth Rush (57) lived for her small pine and canework shop next door to the Cosy Corner pub in Omagh. She had a cafe upstairs which was a popular meeting place in the town. Elizabeth was killed in her shop.
JOLENE MARLOW - Everybody said Jolene Marlow was a kind-hearted girl. Jolene (17) and her sister Nicola (15) had taken their great aunt, Bernie Shaw (75), into Omagh on a shopping trip. The family are from Newtownsaville. Jolene had three brothers.
SAMANTHA MCFARLAHD - Samantha McFarland (17) was a student at Strabane College. She was killed with her best friend Lorraine Wilson.
LORRAINE WILSON - Lorraine Wilson (15), a schoolgirl, was working with Samantha in the charity shop run by Oxfam in Omagh. They were evacuated and left the building together. They walked into the bomb.
GARETH CONWAY - Gareth Conway (18) from Carrickmore was about to enrol in an engineering course when he was killed. His father Mickey plays handball at All-Ireland level and he and his wife Marie have another son and two daughters.
Gareth had just left Omagh Technical College and had been accepted for a place at the Magee College. His exam results were due out this week. He was in Omagh to buy a pair of contact lenses. "I would say this has been the worst day of my life," said his local parish priest, Father Sean Hegarty.
ALAN RADFORD - Alan Radford (16) would have got his GCSE results this week. His family were delighted that he had taken his exams. Alan was in town to help his mother with the shopping. His brother Paul went searching for him after the bomb but could not find him. So Paul helped the other injured. Alan wasn't identified until Sunday.
Paul said it was so cruel that his brother had been killed when he had never been involved in politics in any way.
FRED WHITE - Fred White (60) had just came home from a holiday abroad and had gone into town to get shopping. He was an office-holder in the local Omagh Ulster Unionist Association. It is believed he died with his son Brian (27).
BRYAN WHITE - Brian White (27).
BRIAN McCRORY - Brian McCrory (54), was from Omagh.
OLIVE HAWKES - Aged 60, from Omagh.
DEBORAH ANNE CARTWRIGHT - Aged 20, from Omagh
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH TIMES
Ref: IT/054
Published Date: 18-Aug-98
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